


For her

by PassiveGood



Category: The Shape of Water (2017)
Genre: Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-05 01:44:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12180474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PassiveGood/pseuds/PassiveGood
Summary: She wants to open her eyes to get a glimpse of God who’s surely waiting for her. Her vision is blurry and strangely, heaven looks a lot like her bedroom. She sees no God, at least not the one she expected; it’s the one she wanted, her Amazonian gill-god sitting on the floor beside her bed.A take on what might happen after the movie.





	For her

**Author's Note:**

> Might be spoiler-y.

It’s wet and cold and slippery and she’s not sure if it’s her blood or the salty water that clings to her coat; making it so heavy her body feels like a sunken rock. It’s dark and then it’s pitch black, her eyelids feel just as heavy as her soaked clothes. She wants to cry out but she knows all too well that it would be in vain, even if she had the strength. She is drifting, maybe the water took hold of her body, maybe it’s just her mind but she can no longer feel the cold ground underneath her, she can no longer hear the screams in the distance and she can no longer see him.

* * *

 So, this is what death feels like, she thinks, it’s warm and soft and bright; it must be heaven, somehow she’s made it. She wants to open her eyes to get a glimpse of God who’s surely waiting for her. Her vision is blurry and strangely, heaven looks a lot like her bedroom. She blinks a few times and realizes that she’s not floating on clouds, it’s just her sheets, all comfortably wrapped around her. She sees no God, at least not the one she expected; it’s the one she wanted, her Amazonian gill-god sitting on the floor beside her bed, his gills are fluttering with each breath he takes, his elbows are resting on his knees and his head is buried in his palms. Her eyes widen, she can’t see water on his skin so he must’ve been out of tub for a while now. She tries to lift her hand to get his attention, but it hurts, it hurts to move and it hurts to breath and it hurts to think.

She can barely remember anything. They were trying to set him free near the river but shit hit the fan and he was hurt and she was hurt and she saw him die. But he’s there and by some miracle she’s there with him. A silent sob escapes her throat as her hand reaches towards him. His head snaps up and it takes only a millisecond for him to cross the minimal distance between them and touch her hand with his webbed fingers. She sees supernovas colliding in his eyes as his whole body lights up in iridescent colors; she thinks that whatever heaven is waiting for her cannot compare to the sight before her and so she clings to life as he clings to his clawed fingers.

He lifts his other hand and signs the word he loves the most, _E-L-I-S-A._ She smiles at him faintly as his fingers continue moving to form the word _Okay_? She nods and tightens her fingers around his. He leans closer and her heart still starts to pound, even after what happened in the bathroom a mere day ago, or days, she’s lost track of time but she doesn’t care. He gently touches his forehead to hers and purrs lovingly. Elisa slides a finger across the side of his face and his gills flutter against her hand, he’s trying but he can’t control the heaving of his chest, it’s getting harder and harder to breathe for him and as much as Elisa wants him close she doesn’t want to see him in pain. She lets go of his hand to sign _Go, go, go_. The creature stands up, still not letting go of her hand and Elisa can see the small scars on his abdomen and chest from that fateful night but now they are just small circles where his scales are a bit darker than rest of his body. Elisa nods her head towards the door, urging him to go back into the bathtub. He reluctantly lets go of her and walks out the room, and just as he does another shape appears in the doorstep. Giles pats the creature’s back while he takes one last look at Elisa as if to make sure she is still there. The bathroom door creaks and the creature enters, and Giles takes his place by Elisa’s bed. She notices that his left arm is in a sling and his nose is red and puffy but other that he seems fine. Elisa feels a tear trickling down her cheek at the sight of her best friend.

“He saved us. He saved us all.” He says gently but his voice still breaks and tears well up in his eyes as well.

Elisa wants to sit up and hug her friend but pain stings her in her chest and she falls back into the pillows.

“Rest. You need it, it’s over now, we’re safe.” Giles says as he adjusts the covers around her.

_How long was I out?_ She signs, but her movements are a bit clumsy and Giles has to concentrate a bit harder than usual to catch her words.

“Almost two days.” He replies. Two days. A lot can happen in two days and she hasn’t the slightest idea of how she ended up back in her tiny apartment.

_How?_

“I’m afraid I don’t really remember much either, dear. But they’re dead, the people from that laboratory of yours.” He says and Elisa lets out a shaky breath it response.

_Zelda?_

“Oh, your friend was here for a long time. She had to go back home to her husband but she wouldn’t leave until she made sure that you were all right…I’m sure she’ll visit you soon,” he says. “Just like him. I had to force him back into the bath over and over again.”

Elisa turns hear head and a weak smile crosses her face. She doesn’t want to think about, but she can’t help it. They might be safe for now, they might have escaped the lab but how can she keep this up? The creature can’t live in her bathtub for the rest of his life, he already seems weaker and older after the few days he’s spent cramped in there. She’s also pretty sure that she no longer has a job. She would have to find one as quickly as possible so she can pay the rent, so she can provide for him and for herself, but even the tiniest movements feel like a hundred knives cutting her open from the inside. She sighs before turning back to Giles.

_Are you okay?_

“Oh, I’m just fine. It’s nothing but a scratch and a bit of a cold. Nothing that a few weeks and a few hot teas won’t solve.” He says with a warm smile. “Which reminds me, if you need anything, anything at all, just ring that bell and I’ll be right here.” Giles points at the small brass bell that sits on nightstand beside her bed.

She nods. _Thank you._ She hopes Giles can see it in her eyes that she’s thanking him for everything he did, not just the help he’s just offered.

“Don’t mention it, my dear. I’m sorry for ever doubting you.” Elisa shakes her head in disbelief. She should be the one saying sorry, sorry that she’s dragged him into this mess, sorry that she’s nearly got him killed. “Don’t say a word. I’ll let you rest now, I’ll be in the other room, if you need me, just ring the bell.” With that, Giles stands up and closes the door behind him when he leaves and she’s left alone with her thoughts.

There is a whirlpool of thoughts swimming inside her head. She wonders how long he needs to spend in the water before his breathing goes back normal. Normal feels like a strange word now, she thinks. She knows that’s he can’t even last an hour without water but she needs him, she needs her… what is he to her? Boyfriend sounds immature and even funny, she can’t help but giggle at the thought. Partner? Companion? No, neither of those sit right with her. Mate? She rolls the word around in her head. She draws the sign into the air. Technically, he’s her mate in every sense of the word, she smiles and blushes even though nobody can see her, much less hear her thoughts. She wishes she could get out of bed to sit beside him in the bathroom.

Lost in her thoughts, she runs her hand along her chest and feels the bump of the bandage that is sticking to her skin between her breasts. She looks down and pulls open the old, ragged shirt that is several sizes too big for her to get a better look at the wound, but when she tries to lift the bandage the gluey material tears at her skin and she hisses in pain, deciding that she’ll examine it later.

* * *

 She doesn’t know when she drifted off, but the next time she opens her eyes the room is dark and the apartment is quiet except for the sounds of the movie theatre coming from below and Giles’ snoring somewhere. Her eyes adjust to the dark as she looks around the room and her stomach flips when she notices a pair of glowing eyes and sees him sitting in the far corner of the room. She scoots on the bed even though she can only do it while wincing because of the pain; his eyes immediately look worried and change color, but she gestures for him to come closer. So he goes and takes his place beside the bed again, she reaches out and pats the bed, indicating for him to sit down. He looks confused and signs: _Wet_. She laughs and grabs one of his large hands to pull him down. She feels the water soaking through her sheets but at least that means he hasn’t been out of the tub for long; they have time.

_You stayed._ She signs. He could have left them there to die, he could have swam away and never come back to this city, to this race that caused him so much pain.

_For E-L-I-S-A._


End file.
